Ted Sarneso stories, Page 6

Riley Stephans School: Plum Class: Junior Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: Stephans scored a career-high 26 points to lead Plum (1-4, 0-1) to a 56-40 upset victory over Kiski Area (5-1) in nonsection play Monday night. What were your feelings after scoring a career high in points in a huge...

The last few years for Kiski Area senior Bella Horcicak have been about the search for the right fit. Last year, the guard transferred to St. Joseph as she sought an environment that suited her. “I always struggled, at Kiski and I don’t know why,” Horcicak said. “It was a...

When you walk down the steps into the depths of the Chartiers Valley gymnasium and wind your way through the hallways, you’ll eventually find the Colts wrestling practice rooms. On your way to the rooms, you pass a weight room on your right that is partitioned off from the hallway...

Last year, the Chartiers Valley girls swim team fell just short of its goal of winning back-to-back section titles, suffering a single section loss to Montour. Even though it was disappointing, coach Morgan Soulia said the failure to reach that goal did not diminish what the team accomplished during the...

There is always a fire and good competition at the We Serve First Volleyball All-Star Classic, but some years outshine others. Tim Toy saw first hand after Friday night’s practice just what this year’s group would bring to the event Saturday at Kiski Area High School. “All the girls came...

Kasey Cienik School: St. Joseph Class: Junior Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: Cienik scored 22 points in her team’s 47-29 win over Apollo-Ridge on Monday and followed that performance with a 24-point effort in a 71-47 win over Highlands on Wednesday. She scored 14 points Friday night in a 51-21...

Expectations within the Freeport hockey program were high entering this season. Last year’s team went 5-10-3-2 and graduated just one senior, which meant bringing back an experienced team looking to make some noise in Class A. But sometimes the hockey gods just aren’t in your corner. This year’s Yellowjackets have...

One of the first things new Deer Lakes hockey coach Ty Ulanowicz noticed when he took over this season was one of the players being all business when he was on the ice. “Time and time again, I saw this player being the first one ready for the next drill,”...

It was a tale of two seasons for Burrell senior midfielder Maggie Nesko. Last year, she lost the majority of her season to a major knee injury, tearing her patellar tendon. “We were playing against South Park, and it was a no-contact injury,” Nesko said. “I was just running, and...

What a turnaround it was for the Kiski School football program. After going 1-8 last year, the Cougars opened 2024 with losses in their first two games, won two in a row before losing to the Potomac School on Sept. 27 to sit at 2-3. The Cougars rallied to close...

Meet the new boss, same first name as the old boss. After 19 seasons at the helm of the Mt. Pleasant girls basketball team, Scott Giacobbi retired in June after compiling a 246-192 record and 13 WPIAL playoff appearances. Scott Hillen now takes over after spending the last 10 years...

Mt. Pleasant boys basketball coach Annie Malkowiak always tries to find the positive in everything. Despite what looked to be a bad year, with the Vikings finishing 8-13 overall, she saw plenty of growth within the team. “It was about those kids getting used to something completely different from what...

Deer Lakes senior Waylon Schiller came into the 2024 season in a competition for an outside back position. “I came ready to go, came to every practice in the prep week before the season,” Schiller said. “Even though I was battling younger players, the competition was still tough. The coaching...

It’s been a learning process for Chartiers Valley girls basketball coach Mike Semplice and his team since he was hired in 2022. In his first year, the team struggled with adjustments, specifically when those adjustments were drawn up on the fly during timeouts. But last year, and into the team’s...

New Chartiers Valley basketball coach Corey Dotchin was looking for a coaching job closer to home last winter after he and his wife had their first baby. “The round trip was a lot,” said Dotchin. “I was getting up and leaving for work at 6 in the morning, going to...

Baileigh Haas School: Springdale Class: Senior Sport: Soccer Claim to fame: Haas survived a 3-2 shootout win over Conemaugh Township in the first round of the PIAA playoffs Nov. 5. She allowed one goal in a 2-1 win against Bishop Guilfoyle in the quarterfinals Nov. 9. Haas made 10 saves...

Fresh off the victory, it still hadn’t set in for Seton LaSalle coach Tim Storino. “I haven’t had time to process it yet,” he said as his players celebrated with friends and family. “It’s a beautiful thing,” Storino added. “We’re excited. The whole school is excited. It’s been a great...

It was mission accomplished last season for the Cheswick Christian Academy boys basketball team. After losing in the Southwest Christian Conference title game at the end of the 2022-23 season, last year’s seniors made it their sole objective to get back and win. “It was a great experience for everyone...

The Cheswick Christian Academy girls basketball team knows what it’s about, and that’s functioning as a five-person unit instead of relying on a few stars to get victories. With a small roster, like this season’s that is dominated by sophomores, freshman and grade-schoolers, embracing that team mentality can go a...

When Maddie Joyce set foot on the campus of Fairleigh Dickinson, she knew it was the right school for her. “People say that when you know, you know,” said Joyce. “Coach David Nguyen is a great guy, a great coach and prioritizes the girls having plenty of bonding opportunities, and...

Maddie Grimsley School: Fox Chapel Class: Senior Sport: Soccer Claim to fame: Grimsley had a goal and an assist in Fox Chapel’s PIAA first-round 5-1 win over Hollidaysburg on Tuesday night. She was tough to defend on one-on-ones and had a hand in each of the Foxes’ five goals, whether...

Battles are won and lost in the trenches. On Friday night, Freeport lost those battles. The offensive and defensive lines for the No. 7-seeded Yellowjackets (8-4) got zero push against No. 2-seed Central Valley (6-5) in a 35-7 defeat in the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals. “They were just bigger and...

When asked what his team needs to do to have success against top-seeded Pine-Richland on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs, Franklin Regional coach Luke Getsy was clear and direct. “We have to be able to control the ball to keep their offense off the...

For Plum hockey coach Jon Gratton, it is nice to have a calming influence for a team that has struggled out of the gate the past couple of seasons. Last year, the Mustangs started 2-4 before rallying to make the Penguins Cup playoffs, and this year, they have gotten off...

The WPIAL Class 3A field hockey title game was a tale of two halves for both No. 2 seed Mt. Lebanon and top seed Pine-Richland on Saturday. In the first half, chances were even between the squads as both goalkeepers did outstanding jobs to thwart any second or third opportunities...